Husband and wife blog about food and ethical living

Fairtrade walnut and blueberry cinnamon rolls

Most of my family lives in the US and I have spent quite a few happy vacations there. I have many amazing US-based food memories, but one of my most wholesome ones is tightly linked to the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls.

I don’t really know why they are not so popular here in the UK…but they should be! there is nothing like waking up to the sweet and spicy smell of cinnamon… I guess a bit like the feeling that us Brits get from the incredible aroma of a toasted Hot Cross Bun come Easter time.

This recipe, aside from containing Fairtrade Cinnamon, also includes Fairtrade Walnuts and Blueberries, which I don’t think are ‘conventional’ components of a cinnamon roll, but they work really well and add a crunchy and summery dimension to them.

If you are wondering where to buy your Fairtrade ingredients you can buy your Fairtrade Cinnamon from Just Ingredients who have a great range of Organic and Fairtrade herbs and spices and deliver straight to your door and I buy lots of my baking ingredients like sugar, walnuts, chocolates (and even toys, clothes and cleaning products!) from Traidcraft’s online shop. Traidcraft is amazing. It’s like the Amazon of the Fairtrade retailers in the UK. They have a really huge range and you can buy online, by catalogue, in some Oxfam shops or if you are lucky like me, through volunteers activists or church groups near you.

Give them a go. They are a great addition to anyone’s baking bag of tricks!

Fairtrade walnut and blueberry cinnamon rolls

Recipe Type: Baking

Cuisine: American,

Author: Fairtradeliving

Prep time: 2 hours

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 2 hours 20 mins

Serves: 15-20 small ones

All-American cinnamon rolls with the addition of walnuts and blueberries for a crunchy and summery twist.

Ingredients

7 gr of yeast

5 tablespoons of Fairtrade caster sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

150 ml of warm water

400 gr of plain flour

1 free-range egg

3 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of ground Fairtrade cinnamon

100 gr of chopped Fairtrade walnuts

75 gr of blueberries

4 tablespoons of Demerara sugar

Icing:

1/2 cup of Fairtrade Icing Sugar

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence

1-2 tablespoons of warm water

Instructions

Dissolve the yeast, caster sugar and salt in the warm water

Add half of the four and mix well

Add the egg and oil and then the rest of the flour

Knead until smooth and elastic (at least 5 minutes)

Leave in an oiled bowl in a warm place for an hour

Pre-heat your oven to 180C

In a small bowl mix the cinnamon and Demerara sugar and prepare your walnuts and blueberries

Roll your dough in the shape of a rectangle of about 0.5 cm height and sprinkle the sugar, nuts and blueberries all over it